Raining Cats And Dogs

Peter and Jodie enjoying their walk on Newcastle Quayside.

Half term is here and this morning we decided to walk the dogs along the quayside into Newcastle. This was a nice change of scene and the excellent paving ensured no muddy dogs paws. It was freezing though, as it often is down there. There is a lot to look at and the children enjoyed watching the trains coming and going over the King Edward  Bridge and speed boats wizzing up and down the river.


Just next to the Tyne Bridge.

Over the last couple of days i've added a few new cat brooches to my range on Etsy. 

A Cute Little Kitten

A slightly fluffier black cat....

Looking forward to having a few lie ins and not having to make the childrens packed lunches this week. Hope the sun makes an appearance soon!

Pink Poppy Brooch

This has been a busy week and I experienced a flurry of Etsy sales and some very welcome commissions for wreaths. My friend Anne asked me to make her niece a flower brooch for her birthday and this is what I came up with. I like the combination of pink and black and enjoyed stitching on the seed beads. I am really looking forward to the half term holiday....just hope we will have some dry days. I almost miss the frozen snowy mornings as at least then the dogs didnt return from their walks with muddy paws. Still, it is great to see the evenings becoming noticeably lighter and the garden waking up from Winter.

Funky Dogwood Heart Wreath.

This week I've had several commissions for Pussy Willow hearts that I've loved making. Robyn and I picked a fresh bunch of the stuff in the allotment in the sunshine yesterday morning. Then we finished off by collecting some of the fantastic dogwood that grows in abundance, completely unchecked in Wylam. I used this to create a funky looking heart wreath. The shape of the frame differs slightly from previous ones. What do you think?

Legend has it that the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was made from dogwood, making the wreath symbolic in many ways.Dogwood is said to carry healing powers, perhaps because of its association with the cross.

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Black Cat Brooch

I have been busy making a wreath  for friends over the last couple of days and experimented with a new black cat brooch. This one hasn't gor a little collar on....it didnt look quite right. I've listed it on Etsy.

At the weekend I ran my second north east harrier league cross country on the Town Moor in Newcastle....it was a wet and muddy affair. However, I really enjoyed myself and feel I have made a real improvement since my last race. I'm actually looking forward to the next one.

Sprucing Up My Etsy Shop



Poodle Brooch Bieng Modelled



Every week I receive an excellent email from Etsy with tips and advice about how to promote your products and boost sales. However, I dont always have the time to go about it all. I am slowly trying to improve things a bit at a time and this afternoon I took some photos I have been meaning to take for ages. They are shots of the brooches I have made actually being worn on a model.

Lee has slaved away for Pixie Peg Crafts this afternoon and following a welding session to put together some more heart shaped wreath frames, he galantly modelled the brooches out in the back yard.

Hopefully this might do the trick....time will tell.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier Brooch

Today I also made a Staffordshire bull terrier badge for one of my running pals.She has bravely been parted from her Staffie called Jack for the last 4 weeks while he has undergone radiotherapy for a tumour on his foot. She is very passionate about Staffies as a breed and loves them dearly.

Border Terrier Brooch

Mushroom Brooch Being Modelled

Heart Shaped Pussy Willow Wreath.

The Willow In Its First Year

This morning I made a heart shaped pussy willow wreath. The mild weather and sunshine weve had in recent weeks means that pussy willow is at its most glorious at the moment. I gathered the branches bearing the beautiful silver furry buds from some willow we planted as a short rotation copice project in our allotment a few years ago. The willow was cut back after its first year of growth and has been left to grow for several more years. This winter we will be able to cut it down again and use the fairly substantial branches as fuel for our wood burner.

So the wreath is very sustainable and I grew the willow myself. I think it would be perfect for a spring /winter wedding or Valentines gift . It has a romantic feel to it with the cream organza ribbon that finishes it. 

A choice of Lovely homemade Soup

Robyn and I met friends at the Wylam Womens Institute soup lunch today. The lunches are weekly during February and serve up homemade soup and puddings. It is possibly the most left wing event that the village of Wylam holds and I like to support it. There is usually a good mix of age groups and there is a  friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Today I sampled a delicious vegetable broth and a Dorset apple cake with custard. Robyn was very happy with a giant helping of trifle after her soup.

communal tables make it a friendly village affair

A Wonderful Choice of Homemade Puddings

Button Heart

The last few days have been full of challenges and I must say I will be glad to see the back of January. We enjoyed a pleasant but muddy afternoon out watching the Wylam Whippett and Elswick Harrier friends compete in the Northern cross country championships. We met up with friends and enjoyed the spectacle of the norths best runners battling it out in the mud. 

On Sunday Robyn fell off her skateboard at speed and broke her arm, whilst giving her friend a skateboard lesson! She is now carrying her arm in a sling and its quite painful for her because no cast can be put on a break at the top of the arm.Its quite delicate and isnt to be bumped around so I'm not sure when she'll go back to school.

 Later that evening we narrowly escaped having what looked like a chimney fire. We have been running the stove at a minimum level ever since. The chimney sweep is coming tomorrow morning, thank goodness. Luckily the weather has been slightly milder today. We burnt some of the christmas tree in the stove yesterday and I think this may be to blame for the thousands of large sparks eminating from the chimney and the alarming bright orange glow around the cowl on the chimney pot. Our heating and hot water is soley wood powered from our Clear View 650 woodburner, so the sooner the chimney is swept the better. Hopefully there will have been no damage to the steel flexi flue we fitted several years ago when we installed the stove.

 These are the wood stores in our back garden, we will easily use all of this wood over one Winter. Touch wood it will get milder soon and we'll have enough to see us through. Last year we spent £120 total on winter fuel. (wood that wasnt split in to logs). Far less than anyone using gas would spend .

 

The woodstore In October

Not much has been going on on the crafting front, I was set to weld some steel hearts for wreaths on Sunday, but events took over. Nevermind. I have finished this little button heart and given it to Lee as an early Valentines present.